Even though I'm abroad I've got so much stuff from earlier this year that I never got around to posting. Whoops. So instead of studying or reading my articles I chose to update my food blog. From hundreds of miles way. That's how dedicated I am. Or not....
Anyways. So I made Korean kimchi fried rice with Korean fried spicy chicken. My family doesn't really do "spicy food" so after the meal, I realized the mistake I made: Never pair a spicy dish with another spicy dish when your family can't handle the heat. Also, my family are not big Korean food whores like me, so I don't think they understood the whole matter....
Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Dak) Adapted from ''Quick and Easy Korean Cooking'' by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee (Chronicle Books, 2009)
Time: 30 minutes, plus one hour's marinating
Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, coarsely grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for coating
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for coating
8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered, or 24 wings
3 tablespoons Korean chili paste (gojuchang)
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, more for garnish
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Oil for deep frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornstarch.
1. In a medium-size bowl, combine grated onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Cover and set aside to marinate for about 1 hour.
2. In a large bowl, stir together chili paste, ketchup, sugar, sesame seeds and lemon juice. Taste and adjust flavors to get a spicy-sweet-tangy finish. Set aside.
3. Pour oil into a large heavy pot to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Heat to 350 degrees. Combine flour and cornstarch in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.
4. Working in batches to avoid crowding, lift chicken from marinade, dredge lightly in seasoned flour and cornstarch, gently drop into oil and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken, checking oil temperature between batches.
5. For wings only, when all pieces are done, increase oil temperature to 375 degrees and refry in batches for 30 to 60 seconds, until very crisp. Drain once more on paper towels. While chicken is still hot, brush thickly with chili sauce. Serve hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
For Korean Kimchi Fried Rice, there are many different recipes online but I THINK I used this one:
Korean Kimchi Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups of cooked rice (preferably day old, Korean or Japanese rice. If there is not time to make rice, and there is not any left over rice, microwaveable instant rice only takes from 1-2 minutes, and tastes almost identical to rice made from a rice cooker.) CJ brand instant rice is good, for first time buyers.
- 1 cup Napa cabbage kimchi in its juices (cut into half inch strips)
- 1 tablespoon of gochujang (red pepper paste). Haioreum brand is good, for first time buyers.
- 1 clove of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (preferably Korean or Japanese soy sauce)
- 1/2 an onion (brown or white)
- 1 tablespoon of seasame seed oil
- some samgupsal (Korean bacon), regular American bacon, or other form of meat (optional)
- egg (optional)
- gochugaloo (red pepper powder)
- salt and pepper
- Heat the wok or frying pan. Pour in the sesame seed oil, and coat the bottom of the pan with it.
- For non-vegetarian kimchi bokumbap, cut the bacon into small one inch strips, and cook it in the pan until it turns white. If the Korean bacon is being substituted with American bacon, leave the strips clumped in pairs, and make sure it doesn't over cook. (Don't let it get dry and crispy.) The bacon can be substituted for other types of meat-- beef, ground meat, tuna, or seafood work well.
- Place the rice into the pan and let it cook until the bottom burns slightly. Stir and let the other side burn slightly, as well. This makes the fried rice taste crispier.
- Put in the kimchi and kimchi juice, red pepper paste, garlic, soy sauce, and onion into the pan. Stir so that the rice is evenly coated with the red pepper paste. ( Cook about 5 minutes)
- Optional: move the contents of the pan to one side, and break an egg (or as many eggs as desired) onto the clean side. Fry the egg so that the yolk is still runny.
- Season the dish with red pepper powder, salt and pepper to taste. When serving, place the egg on top of the rice.
